By 1849, the fog was a tangible phenomenon for visitors such as Herman Melville, who, as Corton notes, was the first person to record the phrase “pea soup” in relation to the London fog during his stay in the city that year. It was this vivid image that would stick, like thick soup to the sides of a bowl. And for one writer, above all, the fog would become an instrument of his work. For Charles Dickens, it was almost another character, in the way that the moor is in Wuthering Heights. (Philip Hoare)

What book do you wish you had read when you were young? I wish I’d read Jane Eyre. I rejected it completely when I was 14 because we studied it in English literature at school, and I clashed with the teacher. Now it’s one of my favourites. Jane is one of the most powerful women in literature – independent, courageous and one of a kind. (Martin Doyle)

It’s late, you’ve had a few beers, you’re in a karaoke bar. What do you choose to sing?Always Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights – I never failed to score with that one at college! Nowadays work is so busy that I’m mostly minding my voice, so couldn’t get away with screaming away in a karaoke bar. I’m glad I enjoyed myself at college and was a bit mad, as now I have to be a bit more sensible.

Herald Scotland has compiled several facts about Scottish politician Nicola Sturgeon after she appeared on the radio programme Desert Island Discs. One of the facts is that,

10. She is a Janeite
Her chosen book would be The Complete Works of Jane Austen. She also confessed to playing Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights while reading the book when young. (Alison Rowat)